Preparations are underway to privatise the government block of Rosneft shares, and for a tentative deal with Gasprom stock. The upcoming transactions demand consultants. Two have been appointed-the Morgan Stanley and the Russian-based independent consultants, 2K Audit/Business Consultations. The Federal Property Fund was making the choice together with Russia's Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, and the Federal Agency for Federal Property Management, the Fund says in a press release circulated today.
The consultant will evaluate Gasprom and Rosneft stock, draft required conclusions, and offer other consulting services on the two transactions.
Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov ordered the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, yesterday, to appraise assets involved in the Gasprom-Rosneft merger.
The government has already appointed a qualified appraiser-the Morgan Stanley, Andrei Sharonov, Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade, said to newsmen this morning. What the government is to do about the deal will be clear after the assessment is made, he added. The Russian government wants the appraiser to assess the merger from the point of stockholders' not Gasprom bosses' interests, stressed the vice-minister.
The Gasprom appointed its own appraiser on an earlier date. That was the Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein bank.
